February 26 2013

My grandfather, Karl Behr, wrote in his memoir that it was the great people who made all the difference to him in the tennis world. Although his emphasis from day to day would have been on playing the game; in the long run, he loved playing because he loved the people. This has been a similar joy for me as I continue to feel support in association with so many wonderful people through my book about him. Lately, just to mention a few: Nina Wainwright, Tom and Ann Maxey, Tanice Fitzpatrick, Melanie Clark, John Denny, Lucy Joye, Betty Miller, Megan Goheen, Jim Plastine and Ed Breisacher.
A hundred years ago, Karl had a few short weeks to go before marrying Helen in NYC attended by his eleven ushers. By this time, the Titanic tragedy must have been rumbling from somewhere deep down inside of him.

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Notable Reviews for Starboard at Midnight

“When hundreds died and you should have gone with them, it is difficult to cope with such pressure. Starboard at Midnight tells the story of Karl H. Behr, a German American who survived the tragedy of the Titanic. Famed as a rising tennis star, he joined activism with former President Theodore Roosevelt in his own way of facing survivor's guilt. Starboard at Midnight is a moving bit of biography and history, very highly recommended reading.”—Midwest Book Review

“...a literary treat in the rising tide of books about the century-old disaster.... Amid the hubbub of glossy pictorials, in-depth chronicles, and pure junk has emerged an intimate literary gem, Starboard at Midnight, a novelized treatment of the lives of Titanic survivors Karl Behr and Helen Newsom.... With all the drama and intrigue that charges a spy thriller, and punctuated by bursts of eloquent prose, Sanford's well-woven tale fleshes out the grandmother she cherished and reclaims an elusive grandfather she never knew but felt compelled to discover. The romance of Behr and Newsom is familiar to Titanic aficionados, but its retelling from such close quarters offers fresh nuance.... The book’s 38 illustrations are in themsevles worth its purchase price.” (Read More)—Randy Bryan Bigham, Encyclopedia Titanica

ESPN and Karl Behr

This (6) minute video, presented by ESPN as a segment for the US Open in 1998, features Tennis Hall of Famers: Karl Behr and Dick Williams. Both passengers on the Titanic.
Like the 1914 tennis match they are seen playing in at the beginning, the video volleys back and forth between Dick’s family with their explanations about Dick’s Harvard connections, his near disastrous fate, and Karl’s son and granddaughter, Lynn Sanford, who reads from Karl’s memoir.

Lynn Sanford wants her viewers to know that she does not in any way endorse the inaccurate Titanic the Tennis Story, which may advertise at the end of this video and often with Starboard at Midnight on Amazon.com.Thank you.